Lyon
A surname with several origins, including a Scottish noble line and a possible nickname or Welsh patronymic source.
The #1,271 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 11,150 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Lyon can have more than one origin. In Scotland, it is linked to John de Lyon, ancestor of the Strathmore family, whose name was associated with lands and titles granted by King David II. Elsewhere, it may be a nickname from the word lion, or in some Welsh contexts a reduced form connected with the personal name Lyon, as in older patronymic forms like ap Lyon.
History
The Scottish Lyon family became prominent through the medieval noble line connected with the earldom of Strathmore. In England and Wales, the surname also appears in a number of unrelated families, which is why older scholars treated it as having multiple possible explanations. The name has therefore been used both as an inherited family surname and as a form that could arise independently in different regions.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Older surname writers even connected Lyon with forms like Applin through a Welsh patronymic pathway, showing how tricky medieval surname development could be.
From the historical record
“Lionel. LYON. 1. Lord Strathmore's family descend from John de Lyon, ^vho obtained from King David II. baronies and lands in the shires of Perth and Aberdeen. 2. See Lion, "A whilom student at Trin. Coll., Dublin, a great fop, got the sobriquet of Dandy-Lyon, which greatly”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United KingdomNotable people named Lyon
- Sue Lyon (1946–2019)
Sourced from Wikidata; linked to their Wikipedia page.